Air-tight tin and canister



W. J. FRYER.

AIR TIGHT TlN AND CANISTER.

APPLICATION HLED APR. 24, 1919.

1,333,910. Patented Mar. 16, 1920. 7a 4 I; f a I 2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

w: w a! I I g p f a a a W. J. FRYEB.

AIR TIGHT TIN AND CANISTER.

APPLICATION FILED APR.24, 1919.

Patented Mar. 16,1920.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2- LMA'N Q m. XW im WW WALTER JOHN FRYER, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

AIR-TIGHT TIN AND CANISTER.

Specification of Letters fatent.

Patented Mar. 16,

Application filed April 2%, 1519. Serial No. 292,247.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, lVAL'rnR JOHN FRYER, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at 157 Great Portland street, London, W. 1, England, have invented new and useful Improvements in or Relating to Air- Tight Tins and Canisters, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to air-tight tins and canisters of the kind sealed by a tagger top which is cut through by means of a cutter carried by the external lid of the tin when said cutter is moved from a normally inoperative to an operative position and said external lid is rotated relatively to the tin. The present invention relates particularly to such air-tight tins in which the cutting is efi'ected in the plane of rotation by a cutter which is automatically moved from its inoperative to its operative position by the revolution of the external lid relatively to the tin. In such t ns the tagger top i formed with a' peripheral flange adapted 'to extend downwardly outside and be soldered to the peripheral wall of the tin, the overall diameter of the tag ger top being greater than that of the tin by at least twice the thickness of said top, while the depth of said flange is small com pared with that of the corresponding flange of the external lid, so that a good joint is not made when the tin is subsequently used as a canister. The object of the present invention is to provide improvements in such tins whereby they are rendered more suitable for use as canisters after the tagger top has been cut through and removed. A further object of the present invention is to provide means for facilitating the cutting of'the tagger top.

A. tin or canister made in accordance with this invention is formed with a portion of reduced diameter at its top of substantially the same depth, in the direction of the axis of the tin, as the peripheral flange of the taggei top, the reduction in diameter being substantially equal to twice the thickness of the tagger top, so that when the tagger top is soldered in position a substantially flush surface is presented.

When the tin is used as a canister after the tagger top has been cut through and removed the external lid fits closely around the flush surface throughout the depth of its peripheral flange thus making a substantially air-tight joint.

As above set forth the cutter is adapted to be moved from an inopertaive toan operative position by rotation of the external lid of the tin and continued rotation results in the tagger top being cut through. The portion of the tagger toppresented to the cutter (hereinafter referred to as the tagger portion) lies flat against or parallel with the inner periphery of the tin, and after the cutting has been performed a short depth of the tagger top remains, the point of the cutter projecting under its lower eoge. l Vhen the external lid is removed the projecting cutter is apt to catch under the tagger portion and pull it upward and inward thus leaving a sharp protuber ance which is liable to cause injury to the hand when inserted into the canister;

vision of means to overcome this disadvantage, said means consisting of a cutter whereof the point is sufficiently hard to penetrate and cut the tagger portion, and whereof a portion remote from said point is softer so that said cutter-is capable of being bent along a line substantially tangential to a circle of slightly smaller radius than, and concentric with, the inner circumference of the tagger portion whereby, when the external lid of the tin is removed after the tagger top has been out through, the projecting point of the cutter will be bent downward as a result of its engagement with the lower edge of the tagger portion during the upward movement of the lid. This downwardly bent point of the cutter will also serve, during any subsequent rotation of the lid relatively to the tin, to burnish the tagger portion, and remove any slight protuberances or roughnesscs which may have resulted from the cutting of the tagger top.

In order to assist in the relative rotation of the external lid and the tin, the peripheral flange of the former is preferably provided externally with a series of protuben,

ances to facilitate a grip being obtained thereon. These .protuberances may be pressed out from the metal itself, and extend over part only of the depth of said flange or soldered thereto, or a knurled band may be secured to the peripheral'fiange.

Referring to the accompanying drawings which illustrate one form of air-tight tin made in accordance with this invention, and in which the thickness of the parts and their A further feature of this invention is the pro elevation, on the line 11, Fig. 2, Fig. 2- is a plan thereof, the cutter being shown in dotted lines, in its inoperative position. Fig. 3 is'an inverted plan of a portion of the lid, showing the cutter in its inoperative position. Fig. at is a fragmentary plan, parts being broken away and sectioned, showing the cutter in its operative position. Fig. 0 a similar view to Fig. but showing the pointor the cutter bent down alongside the tagger portion, and Fig. 6 is a section on the line 6-6, Fig. 5.

As shown in Fig. l, the tin or canister 64 is provided with a neck 7) of less diameter than the main peripheral. wall, secured to the upper edge thereof by a beading 0 and formed with a portion (5 of reduced diameter at its top, or substantially the same depth, in the directionof the axis of: the tin, as the peripheral iiange e of the tagger top f, the reduction in diameter being substantially equal to twice the thickness the tagger top i so that, when said tagger top is soldered in position around the per ion (,Z a substantially flush surface is presented as 7 shown in Figs. 1 and 6. This flush surface throu 'hout its death andmake a substantially airtight joint after the taggc has been cutthr ugh and removed.

The external lid h is provided with a cutter of stamped steel partially revoluhle in a bearing. in said lid, and formed with a cutting point 70, and with a downturned lug m. The lug m is adapted to coact, when the lid h is revolved relatively to the tin a in the appropriate direction, with any one of a series of upwardly and inwardly indirectcd cams nformed on the tagger top 7" and lying'in the path oi said lug, and in riding up the face of such cam to partially revolve the cutter j from the inoperative position shown in Fig. 2 to the operative position shown in Fig. 4, and to force its point 71; into the tagger portion 0. Continued rotation of the lid it causes the point 7r: to be carried around and to cut through the tagger portion 0 the lug m taking an abutment against the wall 3) of a recess q top stamped up in the lid h and in which thelower aortion oi the cutter '7' lies. The )oint 71 is suiliciently hard to penetrate and cut the tagger portion 0, but remote from suit point the cutterj is softer that when the lid 72 is removed from the tin a, after the tagger port-ion has been cut through, the point 7 engages the lower edge of the re mainder of the tagger portion and is bent downwardly as shown in Figs. 5 and 6 along a line substantially tangential to a circleof slightl smaller radius than, and concentric with, the inner circumference of the tagger portion 0. As shown in Fig. 6 this downwardly bcnt point 7; lies close to the lower edge 01 the remainder of the tagger portion 0, so that during any subsequent rotation ot'the lid 7t it serves to burnish said lower edge and remove any slight protuberances or roughnesses which may have resulted from the cutting of the tagger top.

In order to facilitate a grip on the lid h during rotation hereof its flange g stamped with a series of protuberances 9", which extend over part of the depth of said flange.

1 claim:

1. An air-tight canister comprising a body, a thin metal top whereby said body is. sealed, an anni is constituting part of said top and engaging the inner surface of said v body whereby said top is secured upon said body, an external lid rotatable upon said body, a cutter carried by said external lid, and arranged to cut through said annulus and means for moving said cutter into cutting engagement with said annulus when said external lid is rotated, said cutter having a hard cutting point and a relatively soiter portion remote from said point whereby the latter is bent by engagement with the cut annulus as the external lid is removed from the body.

2. An air-tight canister having a thin metal top sealed thereto, an external lid rotatable'upon the canister, a. cutter carried by said external lid and extending in the plane of rotation thereof, means for moving said cutter into operative position when d external lid is rotater, a. hard point on said cutter, a portion of said cutter remote from said point being softer than said point, a peripheral flange on said thin metal top, a portion of reduced diameter at the upper on d or said canister of substantially the same depth in the direction of the axis of the canister, as said peripheral flange, the reter remote from said point being sotter than said point, a peripheral flange on said thin metal top, a portion oi reduced diameter at the upper end of said canister of substantially the same depth, inthe direction'otf the c axis of the canister. as th'eperipheral ziange on said thin metal top, the reduction in diameter being substantially equal to twice the thickness of said thin metal top.

\VALTER'I JOHN FRYER. 

